state certification

Participation in the Army credentialing program has continued to grow over the past several years, helping soldiers leverage their training and experience for licenses and certifications that will ease their transition into civilian careers. In an effort to boost the employment options for separating personnel, the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command has begun linking credentialing opportunities to every military occupational specialty in the service, reported Army Times. In 2014, about 20,000 soldiers earned credentials in 65 specialties …

State lawmakers have begun to take aim at the hurdles facing military spouses striving to maintain a career as they move across the country, but so far legislation addressing the portability of professional certifications and licenses has been uneven, according to a panel discussion last week. After moving to Virginia, one spouse, a hairdresser, had to spend four months satisfying state requirements calling for her to obtain notarized copies of the licenses she previously earned in five others states. “Who’s your advocate when you’re that one spouse trying to get a governing body to expedite?” Eddy Mentzer, DOD’s program manager for spouse education and career opportunities, said April 28 at the American Legion’s National Credentialing Summit in Washington. “Many spouses don’t have the resources …

Legislation introduced in the New York State Assembly would streamline the process for military spouses to transfer professional licenses and certifications when moving to the state. “When a family is stationed in a new state, the hosting state should streamline the licensing process in order to make their lives as easy as possible. Similar legislation has previously passed the state Senate; we have to get this bill to the floor as soon as possible to make New York more suitable for veterans and all New Yorkers,” said Assemblyman David DiPietro (R), one of the cosponsors of Assembly Bill 2590 …

The House on Wednesday passed legislation aimed at increasing the number of service members who find jobs after leaving the military. H.R. 2942 would reauthorize the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Professional Certification and Licensure Advisory Committee, which managed licensing and certification for job training programs for veterans separating from the armed forces, reported the Hill. It is designed to help veterans who have the appropriate military training and experience for civilian occupations but lack required licenses or certification for those jobs …

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D) last week introduced legislation to help service members acquire credentials that would ease their transition into the civilian workforce. The 2014 Credentialing Improvement for Troop Talent Act would allow DOD’s tuition assistance program to pay for licensing fees and additional expenses such as training materials and test fees. Currently, the program provides financial assistance for postsecondary courses and degree programs but does not cover credentialing expenses …

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) last week signed a series of bills aimed at streamlining the process for veterans to gain professional licenses in the same fields they pursued in the military. The five bills Snyder signed cover veterans attempting to transfer their military experience into a variety of occupations, including emergency medical technicians, fire fighters, stationary steam engineers and boilers operators, mechanical contractors and residential builders …